This week, I received a 300-page editing project from one of my oldest clients. I’m about 20 pages in, and one thing I’ve noticed is that this client seems to prefer the phrase “looking for”. It’s something I’ve seen quite a bit actually.
Category: Grammar
If you’re correcting grammar on social media, you’re just being a jerk
I’d like to take a moment to talk about correcting grammar. (Or spelling, or punctuation, or writing in general.) I get paid to correct others’ grammar for a living. I read dozens of pages every day, looking for editing mistakes. Sometimes, it makes my head hurt. So, when I log out for the day, the… Continue reading If you’re correcting grammar on social media, you’re just being a jerk
Why you should reconsider using “now” in your writing
One thing I specialize in is whittling down wordiness. You could argue that wordiness is even a pet peeve of mine. A popular wordiness culprit is the use of the word “now” (and its cousins “currently” and “presently”).
10 wordiness examples and how I shortened them
While editing client documents, I often encounter superfluous phrasing. I quickly edit it to its main message, using as few words as possible to make the message as strong as possible. When I think of it, I tweet examples to my Twitter accounts under the hashtag #shrinktip, a nod to an article I wrote with techniques… Continue reading 10 wordiness examples and how I shortened them
Difference between compose and comprise
This is part of the difference between series. While editing client work, I often come across the misuse of compose and comprise. Here is the difference between the two:
5 alternatives you can use instead of “find out”
This week, I’ve been editing a thesis for a master’s student. One thing I noticed during my editing was that this student seemed to have a preference for the phrase “find out”.
Should seasons be capitalized?
With the first day of spring just behind us (at least those of living in the northern hemisphere), I noticed at the time several memes, corporate advertisements, and status updates mentioning spring and the vernal equinox. Many of them capitalized spring. The thing though is that seasons aren’t capitalized. They aren’t proper nouns and, outside of… Continue reading Should seasons be capitalized?
Difference between allowed and aloud
This is part of the difference between series. Recently, someone asked me to explain the difference between the words allowed and aloud. Here’s the difference between the two.
Difference between forth and fourth
This is part of the difference between series. Recently, someone asked me to explain the difference between the words forth and fourth. Here’s the difference between the two.
Why you should ditch Grammarly and hire a professional
Even though my bread and butter is copyediting, I have a side job at the local university as an academic writing tutor in the Writing Centre. I had a student come in with a paper today. There were quite a few spelling, grammatical, punctuation, and clarity issues. Because she had used Grammarly, which her instructor… Continue reading Why you should ditch Grammarly and hire a professional